London, Italy
Terms of sale
View demo
21 dicembre 2021 ore 12:00 CET
The auction has ended
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LOT 5:
Italian ivory Vanitas with skull - 18th Century
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Start price:
€
900
Estimated price :
€1,500 - €2,000
Buyer's Premium: 26%
More details
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Italian ivory Vanitas with skull - 18th Century
"Memento Mori" Vanitas represented by an oval elephant ivory plaque (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797 or Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758) carved with the symbol of the skull and crossbones. A vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. The skull was the symbol of death from the 1500s onwards; previously death was represented as a skeleton. Skulls were very popular in the Baroque period and were not only an essential part of any Wonderland Room (Wunderkammer), but also acted as contemplative reminders of mortality. Height x width 8.5 x 5.6 cm. Weight 74.5 gr. Item condition grading: **** good. Accompanied by Ce.S.Ar. Centro Studi Archeometrici certificate of authenticity (pre-1947).
